INTRODUCTION

ACOCORDING TO ONE SCHOOL OF

THOUGHT, ARYENS WERE INDIGENOUS
INHABITANTS OF INDIA AND THEY LAID
DOWN THE FOUDATIONS OF HINDU
CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION.
 THERE WERE THE INDIGENOUS INHABITANTS OF
INDIA, ANCIENT “ARYAVARTA ”WHICH WAS THE
CRADLE OF ARYAN OR VEDIC CULTURAL, WHICH OWES
EVERYTHING TO THE RELENTLESS OF THE RISHIES
AND SAGES OF THAT ERA.

 THE INDUS VALLEY AND VEDIC CIVILIZATION

FLOURISHED AT THE SAME TIME IN DIFFERENT AREAS
AND THAT THERE WAS INVASION FROM OUTSIDE.
 HOWEVER THE FACT REMAINS THAT THEY
WERE PROFILIC WRITERS WHO ENSHIRINED
THEIR TRADITION AND RITUALS; KNOWLEDGE
AND EXPERIENCES IN WHAT ARE COMMONLY
KNOW AS VEDAS AND UPANISHADS.
 THE EARLIEST AND THE MOST IMPORTANT OF
THE ARYANS COMPOSITIONS, THE RIG-VEDA,
IS A COLLECTIONS OF SACREDHYMNS IN THE
VEDAS , TOGETHERS WITH A RESPECTABLE
BODY OF TEXTS OF ANOTHER KIND
UPANISHADS, SHURTI AND PURANAS FORMED
THE ARYAN CULTURE.
 RESIDENCE
VARIOUS TYPES OF RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURES WITH
SPECIFIC DIMENSION , DETAIL AND ORIENTATION WERW
CONSTRUCTED TO SUIT SPECIFIC REQUIRMENTS.
 THE CLUSTERS COMPRISING OF THATCHED HUTS WERE
SURROUNDED BY A FENCE. PLANNED VILLAGES AND
SETTLETS EVOLVED OUT THE SOCIAL ORDER HAD
CARDINAL ORIENTATION & LAYOUTOF THE SOCIAL
ORDER HAD CARDINAL ORINTATION.
 DIFFERENT TYPES OF VILLAGES WERE
NAMED AS SARVATOBHADRA, SWASTIKA,
NINDYAVARTA AND VARDHAMAN AS PER
THE ORIENTAION & LAYOUT OF
BUILDINGS WITHIN THE ENCLOSURE.
THE AGRICULTUREAL FIELDS LAY
OUTSIDE THE ENCLOSURE.
 LIVING
 ARYANS OF THE RIGVEDA AGE
DEPENDED ON AGRICULTRUE FOR THEIR
LIVELIHOOD .
 FARMS WERE IRRIGATED THRUOGH A
SYSTEM OF DEEP OPEN WELLS &
ARTIFICIAL CHANNELS.
THEY ADOPTED ANIMAL HUSBANRY AS
AN IMPORTANT MEANS OF EARNING A
LIVILIHOOD ALONG WITH AGRICULTRE.
 ACCORDINGLY ANIMAL YARDS WERE
INTEGRAL PART OF THEIR VILLAGE
PLANNING.
 VAASTU-PURUSH-MANDALA
 It has been interpreted by various scholars
in their own ways. Aryans adopted a
square grid as well as square plans to raise
various buildings on.
 They arranged their various day to day
activities according to the various energy
fields represented by these subdivisons.
 The Vastu purush mandala is the modal of
to universe exhibiting the connection
between people, built structures and
nature.
 Vaastu means substance or built environment
seen in relation with environment.
 When these are in perfect harmony with each
other, it is termed as purusha the universe man
represent energy.
 The Mandala is oriented with sun God occupying
a crucial in the east .
 Wind God in the west, wealth God in the north
and God of Death in the south.
ARCHITECTURAL STYLE
 ARCHITECTURE STYLE
 VAASTUSHASTRA PROVIDED GUIDELINES FOR PLANNING
VILLAGES AND BUILDING ABODES WHICH MEANT TO BE FREE
OF DESTRUCTIVE ELEMENT AND RADIATION,STRUCTURES.
 THEY HARMONIZED WITH ‘PANCHSMSHSBUTAS’,
 THE FIVE BASIC ELEMENT
PRITHVI,(EARTH),AAKASH(SPACE),VAAYU
(AIR),JAL(WATER),AND AGNI(FIRE),
INSTANCE THE KING PALACE USED TO BE A SQURE PLAN
STRUCTURE OF 162ft SIDE ON FOR HASTA (6ft)GRID WITH
ANTROPOMETRY.THE PALACE STRUCTURE USED TO HAVE 12ft
HIGH CHANBERS.
PILLARS IN THE ROYAL PALACES USE TO BE 14 INCHES WIDE AT
THE BASE AND 10 INCHES AT THE CAPITAL.
 ONLY RESIDENTIAL AND OCCUPATION
STRUCTURES WERE BUILT DURING VEDIC
PERIOD.
 TEMPLES AND RELIGIOUS STRUCTURES WERE
NOT ERECTED AS ARYANS DID NOT BELIEVE IN
IDOL WORSHIP AND THE PRACTICE WAS NOT
IN VOGUE THEN.
 SACRIFICIAL YAGYAS,MEDIATION,YOGA AND
WORSHIP OF ELEMEENT OF NATURE AND NAV-
GRAHAS WERE PERFORMED IN AN OPEN
ENVIRONMENT AND THEREFORE REQUIRED NO
COVERED ENCLOSURES.
 DANDAKA
 THIS USED TO BE A UNICELLULAR
RESIDENTIAL UNIT.
 SUCH UNITS WERE ARRANGED IN A ROW
HOUSING LIKE MANNER OR AT TIMES WERE
CLUSTERED AROUND A TREE IN A common
open space.
 Such the society called shoodras
residential units were meant for the lower
strata for , who were in service of upper
classes of society.
 VARDHMAN
 Such residential units were planned
around courtyard with inner Allinda giving
protection to the doors and fenestration
opening onto courtyard.
 Similar to Sarvatobhadra but relatively of
smaller dimensions this unit was also
planned as a detatched block.
 CHATURMUKHA
 This L shaped residential unit planned
embracing a semi covered Yagyashala to
it’s north east was meant for Brahmins to
perform yagyas.
 The rear outer walls of this unit used to
have small window openings at higher
level and a plinth protection at the ground
level.
CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES AND
MATERIALS
 The Aryans of the Rigveda period in India were
not nomads.
 They lead a settled life and constructed their
dwellings with the locally and easily available
materials like mud, wood and thatch.
 Columns were erected on hard ground with
supporting beams placed reclining against them
and connected by rafters on which long bamboo
were laid resulting in a high roof.
 The whole of the structure was covered with
some other material.
 The straw and reed reinforced mud walls
were plastered and finished with cow
dung periodically giving sufficient
protection against weathering agents.
 Rammed earth floors too was given
periodic cow dung treatment.
 The Aryans used to decorate their
entrances by making colorful geometrical
and floor patters on the wall.
 Some special geometrical patters called
Yantras were also employed for such
decoration
 They believe in fortune and provides
protection against the evil forces.
 Creative efforts at that time were mainly
directed to poetry and religious thoughts.